10 Year Vision for Knoxville
Knoxville will be an amazing place to live and raise a family. Highly skilled people of all types will want to be a part of this place where people work together to achieve success for themselves and provide opportunities for their neighbors. Knoxville will continue to lift up great entrepreneurs who are developing cutting edge technology that will attract investment of both capital and intellectual resources to build a more vibrant and thriving community.
What is Knoxville's Best Kept Secret?
The amazing business owners that are growing businesses and developing other peoples careers while flying under the radar. Businesses that are less than 150 employees but are developing and producing great products and services for the region and the world. We also have some amazing non-profits like Young Life (75 years), CONNECT, and Thrive. There are so many incredible people in Knoxville dedicated to making it better for all.
What would you do to strengthen Knoxville?
Find a way to engage more people in all the opportunities that Knoxville and the region offer. We need to find a way to put people in position to experience more of Knoxville and the businesses, natural resources, and outlets to learn new skills and have a great quality of life. The University of Tennessee attracts some of the best and brightest people from the USA and from other countries. I want the experience at UT to include learning more about our region, businesses, opportunities, and places that make East Tennessee such a great place to live and work; so that we become better by embracing those students and their talents.
What is your favorite Knoxville memory?
There are so many from the time I arrived in Knoxville from Atlanta to go to UT and all that followed. Getting my education and doing it with great fraternity brothers, going to UT football/basketball games throughout my life, going to the lake with family and friends, and the opportunity to have a career and a family at the same time. I was able to coach my children in many sports at Knox Youth Sports and I don't believe I would have had that luxury in a city with major traffic problems. Knoxville provides so many different outlets for family and friends to get together and enjoy an afternoon or a weekend together. My newest favorite thing is getting to meet people all over our region and learning what they do and what motivates them to be the best at what they do. We have some great business people that are doing great things and also are giving back to the community in abundance.
What is your favorite book or what book is currently on your nightstand?
Currently reading the Go-Giver which was provided to me by a friend I meet through my work. Thanks Justin!
What is the best advice you have received from a mentor, and who was that mentor?
I have been blessed with so many mentors including my Mom and Dad, my Grandmother, managers I worked for at UPS (especially Warren Wiltz). I was taught early in my sales career that you sell more by listening than by talking. That message has helped me in all facets of life to listen to the other person and understand their perspective and needs, find ways to help them, and create a strong relationship built upon that mutual respect for each other.
What advice would you give to your 16 year old self?
Enjoy the good times and the bad times. You can learn from both and how you react will either help comfort someone or inflict more pain. Also, that investing in others provides the greatest returns on investment and that failure provides a great opportunity to be better.
Connect With Us